The Kanako Factor
by Hawk
Summary: When Keitaro arrives at the Hinata Sou, he's not alone. Having promised his sister Kanako that they'd always be together when they were both much younger, he's been trying to keep that promise ever since...
1. One

Love Hina - The Kanako Factor 

The Kanako Factor[PG-13]  
Niklas "Hawk" Jonsson  
  
  


Summary: When Keitaro arrives at the Hinata Sou, he's not alone. Having promised his sister Kanako that they'd always be together when they were both much younger, he's been trying to keep that promise ever since. What changes might a deccade of having Kanako nearby have made to Urashima Keitaro?  
  
Disclaimer: Love Hina, Hinata Sou, the characters and whatnot are not mine, though I certainly wish they were. The story is mine though, all mine. This series deals with mature subject matters and there's a fair amount of Kanako/Keitaro tendencies scattered all through the fic. If this disturbs you, don't read.  
  
Feedback/Flames: Yes, please. Both of them are equally fun to read, although I must admit that I greatly prefer the first variety. :)  
I can be found on ICQ as 21771860 or through e-mail as iamhawk@yahoo.com, more stories are available at my nifty lil' site at or by clicking on my handle up above.  
  
"speech"  
*emphasis/shouts/Kindred Domination/post-hypnotic triggers*  
/thoughts/  
*/telepathy/*  
~translation~  
+soundeffect/radio/telephone conversation/TV+  
  


* * *

  
  


Chapter One:

  
  
"This is... Hinata Sou?" Keitaro mumbled, looking up at the impressive building. "I'd forgotten how big it was..." he added breathlessly.  
  
"Yeah, it's been a while." Kanako added as the two continued on their way, walking towards the main entrance.  
  
"Granma?" Keitaro called out, reaching for the doorhandle. "Grandma?" he repeated as he opened the door.  
  
"Brother, wait." Kanako urged him and pulled him back out the door, pointing urgently at a sign. "Hinata All-Girls Dorm?!" she read off the sign.  
  
"All-Girls, what?!" Keitaro exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the sign. "A girls dormitory?" he blurted out, looking over at Kanako, then back at the sign, scratching the back of his head. "Granma Hina must have done some changes since we were here last."  
  
"Yeah, I guess." Kanako agreed, then looked up at her brother. "Why do you think she asked you to come?" she wondered and he shrugged.  
  
"I don't know. Her letter was rather brief." he admitted, then shrugged. "I guess we'd better go see her." he decided and the two stepped into the building, heading for granma Hina's room, only to find it empty. "That's strange, she must be out."  
  
"Granma Hina? Granma?!" Kanako called out, but got no response. "Anybody?"  
  
"I guess nobody's home." Keitaro reasoned, then shrugged. "Want to go exploring?" he asked his little sister.  
  
"Uhm, perhaps we'd better not." Kanako stated. "With your penchant for causing trouble whatever you do, it's probably not a good idea to go wandering around in an all girls dorm." she explained, which caused Keitaro to grin sheepishly and laugh.  
  
"Yeah, Kanako. You're right." he chuckled, vidid images of a group of angry girls chasing him around with burning torches and pitchforks flashing past his eyes. "Hey, doesn't Aunt Haruka run a tea-shop around here somewhere?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, yes she does." Kanako agreed. "It wasn't too far from here. We can probably find it, or at least find someone to give us directions. Perhaps find that odd girl and apologise, I think you scared her when you just ran off like that. What was it you did to her? I just stopped to buy a snack and when I got back, you were all panicked and just ran off, leaving her sitting there staring at your departure with a shocked expression and tears in her eyes. I nearly didn't catch up with you."  
  
"It was nothing..." Keitaro mumbled, red with embarresment. "Dropped my scetch book too..." he muttered.  
  
"We'll get you a new one, brother dear." Kanako assured him, then dropped her bag in granma's room, making sure that Keitaro left his as well before she dragged him out of the building, heading down the murderous stairs again, silently thanking herself for wearing flats. It was just pure luck that she'd remembered about the stairs and decided that wearing heels probably wouldn't have been a good idea on this particular day.  
  
Finding Aunt Haruka's shop took a while, but after asking a group of strange old men for directions, they soon found themselves walking through the door into Haruka's.  
  
"Aun-gmf!" Keitaro started to call out, only to find himself with one of Kanako's hands blocking his mouth. "What?" he wondered.  
  
"You know how she got after she turned twenty-five, she doesn't like being called aunt. Remember to compliment her appearance, she's sensitive about her age and worried about her looks." Kanako whispered and Keitaro nodded to himself, remembering now.  
  
"Thank you, Kanako." he thanked his little sister, then the two of them strolled up to their Aunt who was busy at the stove, boiling up some water and preparing a few snacks. "Hello, Haruka. Boy, you're looking great today." Keitaro greeted her and she looked up from the kettle with a surprised expression on her face.  
  
"Hello, Haruka. Nice to see you again." Kanako greeted her aunt.  
  
"Keitaro, Kanako!" Haruka exclaimed, a semi-pleased grin and a faint blush adorning her face for a split second before she got herself back under control. "I didn't think you'd be here so soon." she continued.  
  
"Yeah, well. We managed to get onto an early train, so we got here an hour earlier then expected." Keitaro replied with a faint shrug. "We went to the Inn first, but granma wasn't there." he added.  
  
"Ah. Well, she's already left." Haruka replied.  
  
"Left? Where?" Kanako exclaimed.  
  
"But... But she sent me a letter, she wanted me to come today." Keitaro added, now thoroughly confused. "Why would she ask me to come, then leave before I even got here?"  
  
"And what's with the Inn? The sign outsaid said that it was a girls dorm." Kanako asked.  
  
"Ah, you saw that." Haruka said neutrally, then blew out a mouthful of smoke. "Actually, she decided that it was time for a vaccation, so she left to see hot springs all over the world. She also wanted someone to step in as manager while she was away and I couldn't, as I have my own place to run. Then when she found out that you were going to study nearby and your parents couldn't afford to put you up, she decided to kill two birds with one stone by having you become the resident manager of Hinata Sou."  
  
"But... It's an all-girls dorm?!" Keitaro protested. "I can't... It would be... Perhaps I could see..." Keitaro rambled on, getting a slightly dreamy look on his face. "Naked... Love-love... Girlfriend..." he added under his breath, a few drops of blood starting to creep out of his left nostril.  
  
"Brother *dear*!" Kanako snapped, bringing his wandering mind back to the present. "It's not a good idea, Haruka. You know how brother is around girls."  
  
"I see some things never change." Haruka agreed with a faint shadow of a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "But there really isn't anyone else who can do it, and well, he needs a place to stay." she argued.  
  
"So do I." Kanako insisted, glaring determinedly at Haruka.  
  
"Still keeping that promise, Keitaro?" Haruka wondered, chosing to focus on him rather then his sister, as Kanako, as always, made her feel slightly unnerved.  
  
"Brother dear is a man of his word and I love him for it." Kanako replied before Keitaro had a chance to do so.  
  
"Yes. We'll always be together." he agreed, reaching out and ruffling his sisters hair affectionately. "Besides, without her around to keep me out of trouble, who knows what might have happened to me by now." he joked, but knew very well the truth behind that simple statement. His little sister had saved the day on more then one occation, when his general clumsyness, absentmindedness or fumbling manner would have otherwise caused a major disaster.  
  
"Well, perhaps you'd better go up to Hinata Sou and introduce yourselves to the girls. They left just a few minutes before you arrived, so they should be back by now. I've got to serve these customers and close down the shop, then I'll be up as well in case the girls have any questions." Haruka responded, then grabbed the kettle and got up, nodding her farewell before she strode off to tend to a couple of customers in the corner.  
  
"Why would they have questions? Hasn't granma already explained everything to them?" Keitaro wondered out loud.  
  
"You know how she is, brother. Perhaps she wanted to surprise them?" Kanako offered as the two of them left the shop, heading back towards Hinata Sou.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Ah, the hot spring. I'd almost forgotten about this." Keitaro exclaimed as he saw the sign over the door. He and Kanako had split up and strode off in search of the girls, who didn't respond to their calls, if they were there at all. "Oh, a hot bath would be nice..." he mused as he opened the door and walked into the atrium in which the hot spring bath was loccated. He removed his shoes and walked over to the edge, rolling up the legs of his pants and sticking his feet into the water. "Ooooohhh, that's so nice..." he mumbled as he sat at the edge, sweeping his legs back and forth in the warm water.  
  
"Neh, Kitsune?" a voice suddenly inquired and Keitaro stiffened. /Was that a female voice? Yes, yes it was. Defenetively female./ he reasoned, then swallowed as he saw a woman lazily moving through the water towards him. "Kitsune, my breasts they've..." she said as she brushed up against his legs, rubbing his chest against his naked legs. "Geez, Kitsune. How long ago has it been since you shaved your legs?" she inquired and looked up at him, her eyes suddenly squinting. /Oh, thank god. She's nearly as blind as I am without my glasses!/ Keitaro reasoned and pulled away from her, crawling backwards while praying silently. "Kitsune?"  
  
He came up with his back against the door and slid it open, then tried to back out only to collide with something.  
  
"Hey, Naru! Way to go! You brought a guy home? I didn't know you had it in you!" a cheerful voice praised from behind and above him, causing him to tilt his head back and look up at some girl he'd never seen before smiling down at him. "And a bold one as well, he's looking up my skirt." she added, which made him realize that just a little further up his field of vision he could indeed see up her skirt. /Thong!/  
  
"Aaaaahhhh! Forgive me!" he blurted out and tilted his head back again, only to see the girl in the water stalking towards him with a furious expression on her face and her right fist clenched menacingly. He hastily scrambled up and took cover behind the second girl, putting her between him and the angry one. "It was an accident, I didn't know anyone was here. I was... It was... Forgive me!" he pleaded.  
  
"Brother dear? What did you do now?" he heard Kanako shout in the distance, her sharp ears having picked up on his fervent attempt to apologise.  
  
"Unforgiveable... Unforgiveable!" the angry one stated, stalking over towards him and adjusting the towel wrapped around her body. Keitaro scrambled backwards and tripped over something, falling to the floor as several soft objects started raining down over him, his field of vision suddenly blocked by something soft, lacy and strangely appealing. He reached out and grabbed it off his head, holding it up in front of his face to observe it better, when he suddenly dropped it as if it had been scaldingly hot.  
  
"Hey, that's my panties!" the cheerful one suddenly exclaimed.  
  
"You... You... Pervert!" the angry one shouted and Keitaro's survival instincts kicked in, causing him to shoot off down the corridor at a speed that a professional sprinter would envy.  
  
"Waaaaaaaaaaa!" he shouted as he spurted down the corridor, up some stairs, down some stairs and doing his damndest to loose anyone that might be trying to catch up with him. "Gottahidegottahidegottahidegottahide!" he chanted under his breath, took a corner and threw himself at a door, rushing into the room only to abruptly stop, his eyes open wide and his jaw hanging low.  
  
Motoko didn't react all that well to the situation either. Not only had her training camp been cancelled at the last minute, she'd also been distracted and splashed by a passing bicycle on the way back to the Hinata Sou. Deciding to wash the dirty clothes straight away, she'd just stripped down to her underwear when somebody suddenly entered the room. Thinking it was Kitsune or Naru with their dirty laundry, she didn't think much of it until she looked up and saw the most odd thing.  
  
Instead of Naru or Kitsune, what stood before her was a man. At least she thought it was a man. His eyes were bulding out, his mouth was open wide, blood was trickling out of his nostrils and he was covered in various flimsy bits of underwear which Motoko instantly identified as Kitsune's. Nobody else in the house would wear such shameless things. Then a single line of thought suddenly boomed in Motoko's head. /MAN! It's a man! Man! I'm in my underwear! It's a *MAN*!/  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiieeeeEEEEEEeeeeeeeee!" she wailed, which propelled the strange perverted man into action. Leaving underwear fluttering in his wake, he left the room running for his life as Motoko threw her dirty clothes back on, grabbed her bokken and took off in pursuit.  
  
"I have the worst luck!" Keitaro announced to the world as he rushed through the building.  
  
"Brother!" he heard Kanako shout from somewhere in the building. "Get out! I'll try to calm things down!" she ordered him and he changed directions, throwing himself out of a window, landing and throwing himself into a roll from which he emerged running. While he still had quite a bit to go until he was as good a Martial Artist as his sister, he had learned a lot from her over the years. If it was one thing he could be called a master of, it was falling. Not only because it was the first thing she taught him, but mainly because he'd gotten a lot of practise over the years.  
  
As he rushed towards and down the stairs, he slowed down as he saw Aunt Haruka comming up them, relaxing somewhat.  
  
"Keitaro, Keitaro, Keitaro..." she sighed and rolled her eyes. "I should have made the two of you wait at the shop for me to close up." she added, plucking a few panties off him. "I don't even want to know what happened or why you are covered in Kitsune's underwear, but please do try to be a little more cautious from now on, eh? I wouldn't want my favorite nephew to wind up in a cementery after all." she added and slung an arm over his shoulders as she guided him back towards Hinata Sou.  
  
As they returned, they found the group and another girl who Keitaro hadn't bumped into before gathered in the living room, where Kanako had problems making herself heard as three girls shouted complaints and ranted, while the new girl tried to find out what was going on, all at the same time as Kanako tried to explain that Keitaro wasn't a pervert, panty-raider, good-to-eat or anything else of the many uncomplimentary and just plain odd things they accused him of being.  
  
+KaBlooooom+  
  
The sound of a gun-shot calmed everyone down and all eyes swiveled towards Keitaro, who stood next to Haruka who held a smoking pistol in her right hand, just having fired a shot out through an open window.  
  
"That's better." she announced. "Everyone, this is your new manager Urashima Keitaro and his little sister Kanako. Granma Hinata's grandchildren, my sisters kids." she introduced them. "Keitaro, Kanako. These are the residents of Hinata Sou."  
  
"That pervert is the new manager?!" the angry one protested with a shrill yell, still only wearing a towel wrapped around her body.  
  
"It's a man!" the one with the sword stated needlessly, her sword aimed at his groin.  
  
"Man? Is man good-to-eat?" the one he hadn't seen before wondered, licking her lips and whipping out a knife and a fork from somewhere on her person.  
  
"My panties!" the happy-go-lucky one blurted out and rushed forward, claiming the panties that Haruka had made Keitaro carry after she'd pulled them off his clothes. Keitaro handed them over with a certain amount of embarressment, his face blushing furiously as the girl reclaimed her possessions.  
  
"It's a man!" the one with the sword repeated.  
  
"But Haruka, this is an all-girls dorm." the angry one in the towel protested. "We can't have a man as the manager." she argued.  
  
"It is what Hina wanted." was all Haruka said. "I can't do anything about it."  
  
"It's a man!" was repeated once again as Keitaro sighed, wondering if he'd somehow manage to survive the comming week or if his life would be over before sunset.  
  
The End! ( For now... )  
  



	2. Two

Love Hina - The Kanako Factor 

The Kanako Factor[PG-13]  
Niklas "Hawk" Jonsson  
  
  


Summary: When Keitaro arrives at the Hinata Sou, he's not alone. Having promised his sister Kanako that they'd always be together when they were both much younger, he's been trying to keep that promise ever since. What changes might a decade of having Kanako nearby have made to Urashima Keitaro?  
  
Disclaimer: Love Hina, Hinata Sou, the characters and whatnot are not mine, though I certainly wish they were. The story is mine though, all mine. This series deals with mature subject matters and there's a fair amount of Kanako/Keitaro tendencies scattered all through the fic. If this disturbs you, don't read.  
  
Feedback/Flames: Yes, please. Both of them are equally fun to read, although I must admit that I greatly prefer the first variety. :)  
I can be found on ICQ as 21771860 or through e-mail as iamhawk@yahoo.com, more stories are available at my nifty lil' site at or by clicking on my handle up above.  
  
"speech"  
*emphasis/shouts/Kindred Domination/post-hypnotic triggers*  
/thoughts/  
*/telepathy/*  
~translation~  
+soundeffect/radio/telephone conversation/TV+  
  
*** Author Rant ***  
  
Well, after no less then eight of the eleven kind people who has e-mailed me some feedback on this story so far has mentioned Kanako's OOC behaviour, I guess I'd better say something about it here.  
  
Y'think Keitaro is the only one who would have changed after the two of them have been around each other nearly 24/7 for the last decade? Y'think this wouldn't have an effect on the 'sweet' disposition Kanako has in the anime? Heck, when Kanako first appears in the anime ( I haven't read enough of the manga to see Kanako making an appearance there, if indeed she does that at all in the manga... ), Keitaro doesn't even recognise her! His own sister! A sister that loves him to pieces! That Kanako has a bloody good reason to be a mite bit moody IMNSHO. If I spent so much time apart from my sister that I didn't recognise her, she'd be miffed too!  
  
... ... ...  
  
Well, actually, she'd disembowel me in the most painful and dishonourable way imaginable, but what the heck? Miffed, disembowel. Tomato, to-mah-toe. ;)  
  
Don't worry, though. My lil' Kanako-chan is still a jealous, moody, possessive wacko. It's just that since she's got Keitaro wrapped around her little finger and has had his more or less undivided attention for the last decade, she's less blatantly obvious about it and it doesn't happen nearly as often. Though it'll show up more often once Keitaro starts showing interest in somebody other then Kanako, not to mention how much it'll show once that interest is returned by the girl in question...  
  
*** Author Shutting Up ***  
  


*** Previously, on 'The Kanako Factor' ***

  
  
"But Haruka, this is an all-girls dorm." the angry one in the towel protested. "We can't have a man as the manager." she argued.  
  
"It is what Hina wanted." was all Haruka said. "I can't do anything about it."  
  
"It's a man!" was repeated once again as Keitaro sighed, wondering if he'd somehow manage to survive the coming week or if his life would be over before sunset.  
  


*** Roll credits ***

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


Chapter Two:

  
  
"I can't believe Grandma. What was she thinking?" Kanako sighed after the two siblings had retreated to Grandma's old room for a private discussion. "You, managing a girls dorm? It's a recipe for disaster."  
  
"Yeah, well..." Keitaro responded, shrugging. "I'm not feeling all that confident about it either, all things considered... But at least we have somewhere to stay. If we had both gotten part-time jobs, we might have been able to afford to share an apartment. But then we wouldn't have had as much time for our studies."  
  
"You're right about that, though there probably won't be as much spare time for us here as you might think." Kanako commented.  
  
"Huh?" Keitaro responded, blinking his eyes in confusion.  
  
"Have you seen any of Granny's old employees around? We're on our own here. Laundry, cleaning, cooking, gardening and whatnot. We'll still have to work, brother dear." Kanako replied.  
  
"Ah, you're right." Keitaro agreed, nodding absently. "But still... It's better then the alternative, isn't it?"  
  
"Perhaps, brother dear. Perhaps..." Kanako replied, her tone of voice revealing that the judges were still undecided on that issue. "Though I shall have to have words with some of the tenants. That deranged brunette bimbo called you a pervert!" Kanako growled, her eyes burning with barely restrained rage. "Oh yes, I shall have to have words with her..." she purred with anticipated satisfaction, her eyes still aflame.  
  
"Ahh, well. I did walk in on her... I can see where she might have gotten the wrong idea about me." Keitaro spoke up, causing Kanako to sigh. Her brother was way too forgiving and ready to believe the best about everyone. It was both one of his more endearing traits and one of his most annoying flaws.  
  
"The one with the sword is really dangerous. I advise that you try to watch yourself around her, you are not ready to face an opponent of her caliber." Kanako suggested, changing the subject, and Keitaro nodded. He knew very well that he wasn't very good at the Martial Arts that his sister loved so. She was a master of Martial Arts Gymnastics, with a first Dan black belt in Motobu Ha Ryu Karate and a second Dan in Shinkage Ryu Kendo. His sister was an accomplished Martial Artist, very gifted for her age.  
  
His own 3rd Kyu in Motobu Ha Ryu Karate entitled him to the brown belt and much to his own amazement, he'd even managed his first Dan in Shinkage Ryu Kendo, earning the Shodan denomination. It seemed like he had a knack for swordplay that Kanako lacked, but she more then made up for that lack by a more intense training schedule then Keitaro had ever followed. The Martial Arts Gymnastics, he'd ignored more or less completely. Some of those techniques were just plain... Weird. And considering some of the freaks that practised it, he wasn't entirely sure that it wasn't in some way detrimental to the sanity of those who practised it. His sister seemed more or less immune to it, but there were others... Oh yes, there were others...  
  
He still shuddered whenever he recalled that Kuno Kodachi freak who'd snuck into their house and ambushed his sister before a competition. Despite the best efforts of both Kanako and Keitaro himself, Kodachi had broken three of Kanako's ribs and knocked Keitaro out with some sort of freaky powder that rendered him unable to move for nearly six hours. His sister was forced to pull out of the competition due to her injuries.  
  
His sister seemed to enjoy it though, especially the impressive aerial manoeuvres and advanced acrobatics inherent to the school. At Keitaro's request, she no longer competed, but she still practised on a regular basis. But no matter how much she loved it, he just couldn't bring himself to allow her to actually compete any longer, it was just too dangerous. While Kodachi had been the worst by *far*, she was still a far cry from the only nutjob that was involved in Martial Arts Gymnastics.  
  
"I'll try to remain on her good side." Keitaro promised his sister, emerging from his silent ponderings.  
  
"I'd settle for staying away from her really bad side, but I guess there is nothing wrong with aiming high, brother dear. You've always aimed for the impossible." Kanako giggled and Keitaro shook his head in mock dismay.  
  
"Ack, I'm hurt! Betrayed by my own sister. Oh, woe is me." he gasped, clutching his chest theatrically before reaching out and ruffling Kanako's hair.  
  
"Brother!" she protested amidst giggling, trying and failing to fend him off as one of his hands snaked out and tickled her. "Brother!" she laughed, collapsing under his relentless assault.  
  
"Do you give up?" Keitaro asked, stopping for a brief moment.  
  
"Never! I shall overco-*ME*!" Kanako proclaimed, but cut herself off mid-statement with a shrill yell and a hearty laugh as Keitaro renewed his assault. Kanako squirmed, trashed and nearly jumped off the floor in her convulsions, thus 'accidentally' moving so that Keitaro's right hand came to rest on her left breast. It had happened often enough before and Kanako certainly didn't mind. Indeed, even while almost rendered helpless by laughter, she'd managed to manoeuvre so that this very situation was a very likely outcome.  
  
Keitaro was also long since used to the fact that his hands seemed to work like some kind of magnets to various erogenous parts of the female body. Since his sister was the female he spent the most amount of time around, he had become almost as familiar with the curves of her body as his own. She always forgave him for it and it was such a common occurrence that he didn't even take note of it unless it was pointed out to him. Something his sister certainly didn't bother to do.  
  
Of course, the same couldn't be said for Narusegawa Naru.  
  
Said girl had heard the screams, thumps and laughter as she passed the room and ripped the sliding door open to investigate, then froze in shock at the sight before her. Kanako was on the floor, her short skirt having hiked up so that her panties showed. Her face was beet red, in fact, her entire body was flushed and beads of sweat glistened on her forehead. Keitaro was kneeling beside Kanako, his left hand over her right ribcage, his right over her left breast, his own face flushed and moist with sweat from their struggles.  
  
Being the Narusegawa Naru we all know and love ( Or in some cases, love to hate. ), her reaction to this situation was fairly predicable.  
  
"*YOU PERVERT*!" she bellowed.  
  
+WHAM+  
  
"You... You... You... You..." Kanako stuttered, slowly standing up and just stared alternately at Naru and the hole in the wall.  
  
"Hey, are you all right? Did he hurt you?" Naru inquired. "I can't believe the nerve of that asshole... His own sister!" she started to rant, but never got much further then that.  
  
"You *BITCH*!" Kanako roared.  
  
+WHAM+  
  


* * *

  
  
"I hate these stairs." Keitaro grunted as he got back onto his feet, dusting himself off and shaking his head, before he looked around. It appeared as if he'd landed about mid-way down the hill and now had to trudge up these stairs for the third time in just a few short hours. For a brief moment, he had a vision, a vision of the future. A premonition, if you will. This caused young Keitaro to shudder violently, as he suddenly envisioned all the times he would have to repeat the exhausting walk if he stayed at Hinata Sou and he instantly started to wonder just how much it would cost to install an escalator or some other sort of mechanised transportation in lieu of the stairs.  
  
He sighed and started walking, only to stop near instantly as a SFO ( Screaming Flying Object ) came hurling through the air in his general direction. He blinked as he realised that it was the angry chick who'd socked him out of the building and instantly realised what had happened. He also understood that she probably didn't have his uncanny constitution and thus would take the fall a lot worse then he had. He rushed towards her and just barely managed to place himself in her trajectory in time, grunting as the impact robbed his lungs of whatever air might have been located in them a split second earlier.  
  
He slid backwards and nearly toppled over, but managed to slide his left foot a bit further back, using that to push himself forward as he strained to support the extra weight in his arms. He sighed with relief as he managed to remain upright, for a moment there, he'd been afraid that they'd both tumble down the slope. He'd probably make it, Doctor Tofu had assured him that his immensely powerful and unusual Chi pathways able to survive just about anything and heal whatever injuries he suffered in record time. But the girl would have been worse off.  
  
He gently lowered her to the ground for a hasty examination, but other then the horrible bruise in her face, she appeared to be more or less all right. She was currently drifting through La-La land and didn't even stir at his gentle ministrations. /Possible concussion, nothing else that won't heal with a bit of rest./ he concluded, then picked her up and made his way back up the hill. He would have to ask Kanako to be a little more gentle in the future, not everybody took a blow as well as he did.  
  
He moved his jaw back and forth, then shrugged. It had been dislocated for a while, but now seemed to be back to normal as his body absorbed the dormant Chi from all around him in order to heal his injuries. He closed his eyes and smiled as he sensed it all. He'd always healed quick, but it wasn't until he'd started to really progress in his Martial Art training that he'd begun to realise why that was. But he had still not completely understood, not until the family doctor recommended him to see Doctor Tofu from the Nerima district.  
  
The good doctor had explained things to him after a brief examination. Apparently, Urashima Keitaro was one of the most gifted Chi Adepts Doctor Tofu had ever come across. After training with and learning from Doctor Tofu, Keitaro had started to be able to harness his abilities on a conscious level and was now aware of the process. Of course, the training had also allowed him to use his talents for other things, though he still had a lot to learn in this area.  
  
Diverting a bit of the ambient Chi all around him, he allowed it to flow into his body and spread through it. The soreness in his muscles eased off and his breathing slowed down, as he felt the forces of life rejuvenate his tired body. Diverting a bit more Chi, he used that to strengthen his limbs. He couldn't do it as well as Tofu had explained and demonstrated was possible. But he could make things a little easier for himself, ease the burden just a little bit.  
  
He wondered if he'd ever be able to copy some of the amazing feats of strength he'd seen while in Nerima. People jumping from roof to roof, punches shattering brick walls, people moving at speeds that shouldn't be humanly possible, but which were made possible by those adept in manipulating their own personal Chi. Granted, he didn't see much use for being able to walk through walls like that directionally challenged boy, but jumping on roofs might be fun. Not to mention how much he'd save by not having to go by train or bus to get to Todai once he was accepted.  
  
"Mmmm, pervert..." the angry girl muttered and Keitaro chuckled to himself as he trudged up the stairs. "Oh, no. You mustn't... Oh, we really shouldn't..." she mumbled, blushing and adopting a coy expression. "Oh, not there... Oh... Not there... Oh... Yeah... Touch me, touch me there..."  
  
Keitaro blushed furiously as the unconscious girl kept on talking, vividly and explicitly describing what she appeared to be dreaming of. The blush only worsened as he walked back into the Hinata Sou, where Mitsune and Motoko opened the door for him and the girl in his arms started talking again.  
  
"Oh, yeah... Oh, my sweet little pervert... Kiss me... Kiss me, Keitaro..." she muttered, a request that caused Konno Mitsune to burst out laughing and Aoyama Motoko to blush even more furiously then Keitaro did.  
  
"Way to go, Keitaro!" Kitsune laughed, enthusiastically slapping his shoulders, before wrapping one of her arms around him. "I am her best friend, y'know. Here, gimme your wallet. I have to make sure that you can support my friend in a serious relationship." Kitsune continued, reached into his pocket and withdrew his wallet with a practised move. She flipped it open and deftly removed whatever money he had in it, before she returned it to his pocket and patted his arse with a sultry smile on her lips. "Not bad, loverboy. But you had better start improving your finances, Naru's high maintenance." she hinted, then darted away, no doubt heading for the nearest bar.  
  
"Wha... Whe... I... We... Hey!" Keitaro stuttered, looking with a stunned expression after the departing tenant.  
  
"Well, Urashima... I can't say that I approve, but... Congratulations." Motoko intoned seriously, then focused a horrible threatening glare at him. "However, there are certain things I approve of even less." she announced, then drew her sword and held the razor-sharp edge against his throat. "No funny business before your marriage. We are in agreement, are we not?" she inquired, pressing the sword a little harder against him for emphasis.  
  
"Wha... Whe... I... We... Hey... We're not... I'm not... She's not... We're not going to..." he stuttered, then swallowed. "It's not like that at all!" he protested, but Motoko had apparently taken his stuttered ramblings as agreement, then departed, leaving Keitaro to protest to a nearly empty room.  
  
Nearly empty, because on the stairs stood Kanako, frozen in mid-stride with a wide-eyed stare directed at the unconscious woman in Keitaro's arms.  
  
*Her* Keitaro!  
  
Steps would have to be taken. Oh yes, steps *would* be taken to rid the Hinata Sou of that bitch...  
  
The End! ( For now... )  
  



	3. Three

The Kanako FactorPG-13   
Niklas "Hawk" Jonsson 

Summary: When Keitaro arrives at the Hinata Sou, he's not alone. Having promised his sister Kanako that they'd always be together when they were both much younger, he's been trying to keep that promise ever since. What changes might a decade of having Kanako nearby have made to Urashima Keitaro? 

Disclaimer: Love Hina, Hinata Sou, the characters and whatnot are not mine, though I certainly wish they were. The story is mine though, all mine. This series deals with mature subject matters and there's a fair amount of Kanako/Keitaro tendencies scattered all through the fic. If this disturbs you, don't read. 

Feedback/Flames: Yes, please. Both of them are equally fun to read, although I must admit that I greatly prefer the first variety. :)   
I can be found on ICQ as 21771860 or through e-mail as , more stories are available at my nifty lil' site at or by clicking on my handle up above. 

"speech"   
emphasis/shouts/Kindred Domination/post-hypnotic triggers   
/thoughts/   
/telepathy/   
translation   
soundeffect/radio/telephone conversation/TV 

Previously, on 'The Kanako Factor' 

"Well, Urashima... I can't say that I approve, but... Congratulations." Motoko intoned seriously, then focused a horrible threatening glare at him. "However, there are certain things I approve of even less." she announced, then drew her sword and held the razor-sharp edge against his throat. "No funny business before your marriage. We are in agreement, are we not?" she inquired, pressing the sword a little harder against him for emphasis. 

"Wha... Whe... I... We... Hey... We're not... I'm not... She's not... We're not going to..." he stuttered, then swallowed. "It's not like that at all!" he protested, but Motoko had apparently taken his stuttered ramblings as agreement, then departed, leaving Keitaro to protest to a nearly empty room. 

Nearly empty, because on the stairs stood Kanako, frozen in mid-stride with a wide-eyed stare directed at the unconscious woman in Keitaro's arms. 

Her Keitaro! 

Steps would have to be taken. Oh yes, steps would be taken to rid the Hinata Sou of that bitch... 

Roll credits 

* * *

Chapter Three:

"Are you all right, brother dear?" Kanako's voice inquired and Keitaro turned around, then took a quick step back as he came nearly face-to-face with Kanako. Ordinarily, he wouldn't have been afraid of her, but she had on a very scary face. Her right eyebrow was twitching, her smile was somewhat strained and both hands were clenched into small little fists. 

"Ah, heh heh heh, yeah. I'm fine." Keitaro replied. "Y'know me. Nothing keeps me down for long. Heh, heh, heh." he nervously added. 

"That is good. What are you going to do about that?" Kanako inquired, nodding at the unconscious burden in his arms, her final word said in a tone which dripped of contempt, venom and disgust. 

"Her? Well, leave her in her room, I guess. She's not seriously injured, amazingly enough." Keitaro replied. "How come? Did you have another idea?" he inquired. 

/Yes. Chopping her into tiny little pieces, put them into a meat grinder and sell the results as phirana treats./ Kanako thought. 

"No. That will be sufficient." Kanako replied, then gave of a mental sigh, though she didn't let it show on her face. "Come on. I'll pull out her futon." she said, then led the way to the room of that Keitaro-stealing bitch. She didn't want to help out, but the faster things were arranged, the faster the bitch would be out of her brothers arms. 

"You better apologise to her later, Kanako. Knocking her out of the building like that was a little excessive, don't you think?" Keitaro stated with a slightly disapproving note in his voice, which made Kanako cringe. Her dear brother was upset, at her! For a split second, she felt like cursing out loud at the injustice of it all. The bitch had knocked him out of the building and he was now defending her because Kanako had given the brunette bimbo a taste of her own medicine? 

"Yes, brother dear." Kanako replied in an agreeable tone of voice, suppressing the rage boiling inside of her, for Keitaro's sake. /When turtles fly!/ she mentally snorted. There was no way in hell that she was going to be apologising to anyone who dared to harm her beloved brother. "You do realise that she did the same to you, don't you?" she inquired. 

"Well, yes. But I can take it." Keitaro replied. 

"She didn't know that! If it had been anyone else, the police would be hauling her off for murder by now. Why didn't you do anything about it?" Kanako responded, knowing that he should have been able to dodge a straightforward blow like that without too much of a problem. "Don't tell me that you let her because you believed that you deserved it, or some other such nonsense?" 

"Well... I guess you have a point. Behaviour like that shouldn't be encouraged. It could be dangerous, both for her and her surroundings." Keitaro replied as they entered Naru's room and Kanako pulled out a futon, pillows, a blanket, a sheet and a yellow stuffed animal, which Keitaro faintly recognised from a TV-show he used to love when he was younger. "As for why I didn't dodge or block, well... She kinda took me by surprise." he admitted with a sheepish laugh. "It's not every day that someone has an attractive girl punching them while screaming 'You pervert'." he finished, while in various other places in Japan, other universes, different time-lines and whatnot, several anime characters sneezed in the midst of whatever they were currently doing, wondering who was talking about them. 

"I guess." Kanako sighed, shaking her head at her brothers infinitive patience and boundless kindness. Had the same thing happened to anyone else, they would have been spitting mad by now. Assuming of course, that they had survived the incident in the first place! That bitch sure could hit, for someone who hadn't had any Martial Arts training that Kanako was able to discern. 

With his sister having made the futon, Keitaro kneeled down and placed Naru on the futon, pulling the cover over her before standing up. 

"Well, I guess we had better get cracking." Kanako announced with a sigh. "Do you think you can take a tour of the place and see what needs doing, without getting into trouble, while I prepare dinner?" Kanako inquired. 

"Heh, heh, heh." Keitaro chuckled sheepishly with a faint blush. "I can try." he replied and Kanako nodded. Both of them well knew of his penchant for finding trouble wherever he went and knew that the likelihood of him managing to do differently here were less then zero. 

"Good luck, brother dear. I have a feeling that you're going to need it." Kanako said, before the two left Naru's room and parted ways. 

It became quickly apparent that Keitaro needed more then a 'good luck' to keep out of trouble, as Kanako could hear the sounds of carnage and Keitaro's loud protests as she cooked. She nearly had to whip out her cuffs and chain herself to the stove in order to prevent herself from rushing to his aid, but just barely managed to stay put in the kitchen. She hoped against hope that a bruised Keitaro might be persuaded to allow her to declare a strict nobody-hurts-my-Keitaro-rule later and she drowned out the sounds of havoc by imagining herself enforcing said rule. She smiled brightly while cooking as she envisioned applying the flat of her bokken against the rear posteriors of the tied-up tenants, with said tenants crying for mercy and promising between sobs and pained exclamations that they'd never try to harm Keitaro again! 

Further visions of a grateful Keitaro doing certain things with her which doesn't belong in a PG-13-rated fics, put a fierce blush on her cheeks and a shit-eating grin on her lips as she prepared the evenings repast. 

* * *

"Have at you, brother!" Kanako cried, leaping through the air and slamming the bokken downwards with enough force to shatter a boulder. Keitaro dodged out of the way and thrust at her stomach, but Kanako seemingly effortlessly twisted out of the way mid-air, slithering around her brothers bokken and sweeping with her own towards his legs. 

"Ack! Take it easy on me, you know I'm not as good as you are!" Keitaro protested as he leapt backwards, just barely managing to stay on his feet instead of falling flat on his ass. He dashed forward as Kanako got back up onto her feet with a graceful roll and swept at her mid-riff, an attack which she deftly avoided by bending backwards and placing herself in a bridge. She pushed off with her left hand as the bokken passed above her, jumped up into the air and spun around, forcing Keitaro to hurl himself out of the way. 

Their sparring sessions never followed the rigorous discipline and strict forms they had practised in Karate and Kendo. Though it irked Keitaro to admit it, it more closely resembled Martial Arts Gymnastics then anything else. Of course, Kanako was using Martial Arts Gymnastics, even if she refrained from using some of the more unconventional weapons that particular style utilised and instead stuck to her own body and the bokken she carried. Her relying on such an unpredictable and unconventional style had forced him to adapt, including quite a few moves into his own styles that his sensei's would smack him one for even thinking about. 

It was a spectacular sight to see the two of them spar however, a fact which Motoko was made brutally aware of as she had headed to the roof platform for her own morning practise when she'd come across the two Urashima siblings. She closed her mouth, as her jaw had dropped and remained down for the last couple of minutes, before she became aware of it. She had sensed that Kanako was an accomplished Martial Artist and gotten confirmation of it after she had heard that this little girl had punched Naru out of the house last evening. She had not felt any such things from Keitaro, however. Though he had radiated a kind of serenity and inwardly focus that hinted that he'd had some sort of training in the more spiritual aspects of the Art, but there was nothing about his movements, balance or mannerisms that even hinted at the level of skill he possessed. 

Both of them were still a ways behind her, of course. Kanako slightly less so then Keitaro from the looks of things, but the unconventional styles they used appeared to be very effective. It was possible that even Keitaro could put up quite the fight due to the unpredictability of the style he used, even if her skills were greater then his. Of course, she sensed that neither of them had received any major training in manipulating their internal Ki resources, so she had quite the edge there. Though Keitaro appeared to have a serious knack for Chi manipulation and had also received some training in that. Kanako had as well, though to a lesser degree. Motoko herself didn't have a very strong talent in that particular area, though she had received plenty of training. 

Controlling her Ki and directing it away from her body was what allowed Motoko to unleash the powerful attacks of the Shinmei Ryu. Neither of the siblings appeared to have mastered any external applications of Ki, but had probably learned some of the internal applications of it. Increasing strength and speed, certainly, considering how they moved. Kanako had probably learned to negate gravity to a degree as well, considering her inhuman leaps. Perhaps they also knew how to increase the speed at which they healed as well. 

Manipulating the Chi which infused the entire world and was all around, allowed for greater effects, though actually controlling them to any greater degree often took quite a lot of effort. A skilful manipulator of Chi could affect the weather, fly over the worlds Dragon Lines and several other nearly legendary feats. Neither of them was capable of anything as major as that, however. But it could also be used in much the same manner as Ki, though it often took more time to do so, as the Chi first had to be pulled in, controlled and only then would the user be able to actually do something with it. She suspected that this was how Keitaro had recovered so quickly after Naru launched him from Hinata Sou, as what little skill in Ki manipulation he had wouldn't have been enough to recover quite so rapidly. 

She reluctantly felt a smidgen of respect towards Keitaro for his skills establish itself within her. She also felt a much greater amount of respect towards Kanako for her skills creeping up upon her. 

"Not bad!" Kanako laughed as she leapt above her brother in a graceful somersault in order to avoid a nasty slash, responding by slamming her bokken into his back. Motoko winced at the loud thwacking sound, but noted that Kanako had held back some as to not seriously harm her brother. But that just had to sting, none the less! "But still not good enough!" she added, landing on her toes and instantly going up into the air again, seemingly without effort. Keitaro spun around and his bokken swept through the air where Kanako had been just a moment earlier. The moment he saw that she wasn't there any longer, he dove for the ground, rolled around and came up crouched in a defensive position, just in time to parry a powerful overhead blow from Kanako who had dashed towards him the moment she landed. 

Motoko put her bokken over her right shoulder and leaned back against the railing, observing in silence as the two siblings became increasingly energetic in their efforts to gain the upper hand in Keitaro's case and retaining the upper hand in Kanako's case. Motoko took a deep breath and gently increased her level of awareness, sinking into a light trance as she slowly became able to better sense the surrounding Ki and Chi. She gasped as she observed Keitaro and the Chi surrounding him. He was a maelstrom of Chi, tapping directly into the surrounding Dragon Lines, seemingly without even being aware of doing so. He was a blazing bonfire of Chi energy, containing more energy then she had ever seen or even believed possible to control. Not even Tsuruko, one of the more skilled Chi Adepts in the last three generations, could accomplish what Keitaro was doing right now! 

The amounts of energy he held within himself were astonishing and seeing as how he had to struggle to keep up with Kanako, it couldn't be something he was doing consciously. His body must be some sort of natural Chi magnet, attracting and retaining Chi without Keitaro's active participation! She increased her awareness even further and what she saw boggled her mind. She believed that she had sensed a talent and training in manipulating Chi earlier, but that hadn't been it! What she had sensed, had merely been the faint amount of Chi that Keitaro 'bled', trickles of energy that dissipated from his body. What skill he actually had in manipulating it, was hardly worth mentioning at all! He was a complete novice! All that power and no skill, no finesse. Her impression of Kanako had been slightly more accurate, she actually had some skill in this area, though her talent and level of power was not even close to Keitaro's. In fact, there was probably nobody else on this planet that even came close to Keitaro! 

She would have to contact the Dojo and ask her sister to come, she would know what to do. 

But first... 

"Good morning." Motoko intoned, after the two siblings had leapt away from each other for a short breather, standing a few meters away from each other, breathing deeply. "Would you mind if I joined the two of you in your morning practise?" she inquired. 

The End! ( For now... )


	4. Four

The Kanako Factor PG-13  
Niklas "Hawk" Jonsson 

Summary: When Keitaro arrives at the Hinata Sou, he's not alone. Having promised his sister Kanako that they'd always be together when they were both much younger, he's been trying to keep that promise ever since. What changes might a deccade of having Kanako nearby have made to Urashima Keitaro?

Disclaimer: Love Hina, Hinata Sou and whatnot are not mine, though I certainly wish they were. The story is mine though, all mine.  
If the layout looks screwy or symbols seems to be missing, you're probably reading the quickedit-mangled version of this fic on ff dot net, if it grates on your nerves too much, read it on hawksgalaxy dot com or something.

Feedback/Flames: Yes, please. Both of them are equally fun to read, although I must admit that I greatly prefer the first variety. :)  
I can be found on ICQ as 21771860, MSN Messenger/E-mail as iamhawk at yahoo dot com, though not very frequently as real life lately interferes with my online existance more then I'd like. More stories are available at my nifty lil' site at hawksgalaxy dot com or by clicking on my handle up above.

"speech"  
emphasis/shouts/Kindred Domination/post-hypnotic triggers  
/thoughts/  
/telepathy/  
translation  
+soundeffect/radio/telephone conversation/TV+

Previously, on 'The Kanako Factor' 

Motoko put her bokken over her right shoulder and leaned back against the railing, observing in silence as the two siblings became increasingly energetic in their efforts to gain the upper hand in Keitaro's case and retaining the upper hand in Kanako's case. Motoko took a deep breath and gently increased her level of awareness, sinking into a light trance as she slowly became able to better sense the surrounding Ki and Chi. She gasped as she observed Keitaro and the Chi surrounding him. He was a maelstrom of Chi, tapping directly into the surrounding Dragon Lines, seemingly without even being aware of doing so. He was a blazing bonfire of Chi energy, containing more energy then she had ever seen or even believed possible to control. Not even Tsuruko, one of the more skilled Chi Adepts in the last three generations, could accomplish what Keitaro was doing right now!

The amounts of energy he held within himself were astonishing and seeing as how he had to struggle to keep up with Kanako, it couldn't be something he was doing consciously. His body must be some sort of natural Chi magnet, attracting and retaining Chi without Keitaro's active participation! She increased her awareness even further and what she saw boggled her mind. She believed that she had sensed a talent and training in manipulating Chi earlier, but that hadn't been it! What she had sensed, had merely been the faint amount of Chi that Keitaro 'bled', trickles of energy that dissipated from his body. What skill he actually had in manipulating it, was hardly worth mentioning at all! He was a complete novice! All that power and no skill, no finesse. Her impression of Kanako had been slightly more accurate, she actually had some skill in this area, though her talent and level of power was not even close to Keitaro's. In fact, there was probably nobody else on this planet that even came close to Keitaro!

She would have to contact the Dojo and ask her sister to come, she would know what to do.

But first...

"Good morning." Motoko intoned, after the two siblings had leapt away from each other for a short breather, standing a few meters away from each other, breathing deeply. "Would you mind if I joined the two of you in your morning practise?" she inquired.

Roll credits 

* * *

Chapter Four:

"Zanmanken!" Motoko cried out and made a sweeping gesture with her bokken, pushing some of her Ki through her arms, along the bokken and out, creating a swirling mess of Ki that hurled towards the two siblings, forcing them to leap up and back to avoid getting struck by it. Motoko had a faint smile on her lips as she instantly darted forward behind the surge of energy she'd just unleashed, appearing before the siblings the moment they landed. She thrust her bokken towards Kanako and lashed out with her left hand towards Keitaro's throat, her fingers aiming to crush his Adam's apple.

Kanako twisted out of the way and retaliated with a nasty chop, while Keitaro took a step backwards, which pretty much nullified her attack, her middle finger merely grazing his throat. She had no time to take a step forward, as she had to step back herself and bring her bokken back to parry Kanako's chop. She tried to shift her sword around for a sweep at Kanako's ribs, but another chop came before she had time to do so. Then Keitaro moved up towards her and thrust at her legs. She widened her stance and let the bokken pass harmlessly between her legs, bent forward and raised her left leg to avoid Keitaro sweeping his bokken aside and Kanako sweeping her bokken through the area her torso had previously been.

Motoko twisted around on her right foot, put her left down and swung her bokken behind her back, before she turned around another half a lap and continued her swing towards Kanako, who deftly deflected the blow with her hand before chopping down at Motoko's head. She slid to the side, only to mentally curse as she saw that Keitaro had already started a crouching leg sweep.

"Shit!" she cursed as she had no time to avoid it. She leaned backwards just as Keitaro swept away her legs, catching herself on her left hand and parrying Kanako's follow-up blow with the bokken in her right.

She increased the flow of Ki to her left arm and pushed off, ramming both her feet up against Keitaro's chest, throwing him backwards as she used her bokken to parry another blow from Kanako. She landed on her feet and shot off towards Kanako, pushing her back with a flurry of blows, trying to take advantage of the fact that Keitaro was down for the moment and unable to help his sister.

Or so Motoko had thought, at least.

"Ow!" she cried out as something struck her back. She forced down a tremendous amount of Ki into her left leg and pushed to the side, throwing her entire body nearly instantly four meters to the side. She saw Keitaro's thrown bokken clatter to the ground and cursed herself for not being able to tell that he was still down, he'd just thrown his bokken and thus made her believe that he'd been up and just behind her.

Kanako darted towards her as Keitaro threw himself at his bokken, snatching it up, rolling around and coming up onto his feet just behind Kanako.

These two were dangerous opponents.

Kanako was incredibly skilled, only slightly less so then Motoko herself. But all those unconventional moves made her very difficult to handle. Keitaro was somewhat less skilled then his sister and nearly as unpredictable, but a significant amount more easy to handle.

They worked incredibly well together, however. They didn't communicate out loud and there were no physical cues that Motoko could spot either. It just seemed as if they instinctively knew what the other was going to do and moved to support their sibling almost before the first move had been made. Their incredible cooperation made Motoko feel jealous, she hadn't ever been part of teamwork that perfectly intimate.

In fact, she'd only rarely worked together with someone at all. She had surpassed all others in her age group before her tenth birthday and had kept on advancing ever since. Her skills with the sword at this point in time were almost as good as Tsuruko's had been when she was Motoko's age. Motoko's Ki manipulation skills were better then Tsuruko's had been, but she was slightly behind her older sister in power. Her Chi manipulation skills were better then Tsuruko's had been, but her power was significantly less, though the elders kept on insisting that her potential was far larger then Tsuruko's. She just couldn't access all that power properly for some reason.

But while her skills had singled her out and thrust her forward into becoming named Heir at thirteen, it had also made her sort of an outcast at the Dojo. Her peers admired her so, that it made it hard to get any real friends amongst them. People were friendly towards her, but put her on a pedestal that made them keep their distance.

She hadn't known real friendship until she came to the Hinata Sou, where her skills as a Martial Artist certainly made the others admire her, but not to the hero-worshipping degree evidenced among the girls at the Dojo back home. Here, she'd finally made friends and Motoko really treasured that.

What she had missed, was the lack of decently skilled people to train and spar with. As a result, her growth had slowed down. While she still progressed, it certainly wasn't at the breakneck pace she had advanced at back home.

But if these two were going to be around in the future...

She parried Kanako's four-chop combination and jumped above another sweep from Keitaro, only to grunt in surprise as she gracefully went above his right leg, only to have his left slam into her stomach, throwing her back. She halted Kanako's attack before it had time to start with a thrust at her head, landed and just barely managed to parry a chop at her right shoulder from the younger girl. She ducked underneath a sweep at her neck, shifted her bokken to her left hand where she used it to deflect a thrust from Keitaro at the same time as she darted forward and slammed her elbow into Kanako's stomach.

She pressed her advantage and rose, slamming the top of her head up against Kanako's jaw and threw her right fist into her stomach, then jumped back as Keitaro charged towards her. She parried the first three attacks, but then had to shift the bokken to a double-handed grip, as the powerful blows Keitaro used nearly made her drop her weapon.

He shifted to a double-handed grip as well and swung his bokken overhead. Motoko briefly contemplated attacking his undefended mid-section, but something made her parry the swing anyway. She grunted as the power was way above anything she had expected, forcing her down to her knees. Her arms couldn't bear the pressure and she groaned as Keitaro's swing continued until his bokken slammed down on her left shoulder. She swept out with her left leg, but his right struck her stomach the same moment she swept away his left leg.

Motoko flew backwards and landed on her rump with a pained exclamation of pain, as Keitaro tumbled to the ground.

All three fighters stayed down.

Keitaro panted wildly, staring up at the skies above as he tried to recover his breath. Forcing himself like that took a lot out of him and this had been a pretty darn intense session, especially considering that he'd taken on Kanako before the two of them had went up together against Motoko.

Kanako stared up at the sky, rubbing her aching jaw and trying to get her stomach to cooperate with her after the elbow and the punch she had taken there. She was out of breath as well, she hadn't had a session this intense in quite a while and her body protested against the strain it had gone through in the last hour.

Motoko observed the heavens as she forced her breathing to slow down, redirecting her internal Ki flows to focus on the injured areas of her body, most importantly her stomach. That last kick from Keitaro had really been something. For his last attacks, he must have either used whatever faint Ki-manipulating abilities he had or taken advantage of the enormous amounts of Chi he was surrounded by to have grown stronger. None of his earlier attacks had possessed even half of the power that his last two had. Even though she tried her best, she couldn't block his sword and the kick she'd been hit with, had completely taken her out for almost a full ten seconds. She hadn't been able to force her body to move, no matter what she tried.

All three of them were smiling, however.

"You two all right?" Keitaro eventually asked.

"Yes, brother. I am fine." Kanako replied.

"I am unharmed, Keitaro-san." Motoko responded.

"That was great!" Keitaro enthused. "You two are really good!" he praised them.

"You did fairly well yourself, brother." Kanako informed him. "Aoyama-san, you were spectacular. Your mastery over Ki was truly spectacular! I haven't seen anyone being able to use it at a distance like that before."

"I have. But not with the ease Motoko-san did." Keitaro added before Motoko had time to respond.

"Hardly mastery, Kanako-san. I am still a novice in training." she admitted. "My sister and the Elders are by far more skilled then I am."

"Wow." both Kanako and Keitaro chorused, hardly being able to believe it as the three of them rapidly recovered from their morning spar.

* * *

Hello, hello. Aoyama residence, Tsuruko speaking.+ the cheerful voice in the other end of the line announced.

"Hello, Aneue. It's me." Motoko said, allowing a faint smile to appear on her lips.

Motoko-han. What a pleasant surprise. Pleasant... And unusual. Hrm! Is it truly that difficult to pick up the phone once in a while+ Tsuruko responded.

"Aneue... I called once a day for my entire first week here and you still thought that wasn't enough." Motoko argued and shook her head, even though her sister wasn't there to see it.

It wasn't enough.+ Tsuruko admitted happily. +How have you been, Motoko-han+ she inquired.

"Well enough, Aneue. How are things back at the Dojo?" Motoko responded.

We got some good ones this year.+ Tsuruko announced. +None as good as you or Setsuna-yan, but most of them has excellent potentials and will no doubt do very well in the future.+

"That's good to know, Aneue." Motoko replied and took a deep breath. "Speaking of potential, there's someone I would like for you to meet. Two someone's actually. Do you think you could leave Kyoto and come over here for a couple of days?"

I might be able to arrange something, Motoko-han.+ Tsuruko replied after a few moments. +You've gotten me curious, however. Who are these two that you want me to meet+

"We just got a new live-in manager, a male. His sister, Kanako, came along as well. She is incredibly talented in the Martial Arts, with both Ki and Chi abilities well above the average student back at the Dojo." Motoko revealed, then took another deep breath. "Keitaro however... He's a passable Martial Artist, fairly average Ki potential, nothing to sneeze at, but nothing special either. But Aneue... He's... It's... You will just have to see his Chi potential for yourself, you won't believe it otherwise. He's like a living nexus, filled to near-bursting with Chi. If that amount of raw talent could be properly harnessed, he would become the most powerful Chi Adept in recorded history."

He's better at it then me+ Tsuruko asked in a neutral tone of voice.

"He's only got rudimentary training, so I wouldn't say that he's better." Motoko replied. "But he's immensely more powerful then you are. I don't think you'll quite understand how much potential he has until you've actually seen it yourself. Looking at him with active sight is like staring into the sun. You know the Dragons Nest in the basement back home? It's a crossroads for seven Dragon Lines, one of the most powerful sites in the world. He makes that seem like a flickering candle without even trying. That's how immense his potential is."

You speak highly of him, Motoko-han. New boyfriend+ she asked and Motoko gnashed her teeth, biting down on the screamed protest she wanted to yell out. But she swallowed that protest down, as she had no desire to bring the entire building down on her.

"No, Aneue. He's not my boyfriend." Motoko insisted in a calm, albeit somewhat strained, voice.

Hmmmm? We'll see about that. You've piqued my curiosity, Motoko-han. I will make arrangements and see when it might be possible for me to travel to the Hinata Sou. But I think the Elders will agree with me that if such a thing as a living nexus truly exists, we will have to investigate immediately.+ Tsuruko announced and Motoko let off a relieved sigh.

Keitaro's potential scared her, but Tsuruko would no doubt know what to do. She herself had possessed so much raw potential that nobody had dared to teach her anything at first. Tsuruko herself had without guidance taught herself the basics of Chi manipulation, only then, for fear that she might wreck the city by mistake, had the Elders dared to take her in hand and given her tutoring. She knew better then anyone what it was like to have so much power that nobody dared to help you harness it.

If anyone could help Keitaro, it was Tsuruko.

* * *

"No! Absolutely not! Completely out of the question!" Naru protested after Kanako's announcement.

"Say what, Narusegawa-san?" Kanako said, theatrically putting a finger in her right ear, turning it around as if she had gotten something stuck in there, before turning her full attention towards the irate older girl.

"He is a man, Kanako-chan! We can't possibly let him use the baths. There's a barrel, he can use that." Naru insisted. "This is a female dormitory."

"True. This is a girl's dorm. For now. It's also a girl's dorm that isn't run by committee. The decisions here are taken by either brother dear or myself. You have no say in it, tenant. Either accept what we decide, or move out. Those are your choices." Kanako said.

"Uh, the barrel will be fi..." Keitaro started to say, but fell silent as Kanako turned her angry glare away from Naru and over to him.

"You have no say in this particular issue, brother dear. Please, do be silent." she told him pleasantly in a voice that clashed wildly with the inferno-like blaze behind her eyes, before she turned back to Narusegawa and the other girls. "Like I said, this is not a committee. This is how it's going to be. The baths will be coed between the hours 2000 to 2400 and 0500 to 0700. If you don't want to risk taking a bath with brother dear, then you will have to use the baths during the eighteen hours a day when it's still girls-only. If this doesn't meet with your approval, tough luck. I'm sure you're all aware of where the door is." she finished and swept her gaze across the room.

Naru was furious, but kept her peace.

Barely.

Motoko was quite angry about it as well, clenching her fists in her lap.

Kitsune didn't appear to care one way or the other, only having shrugged when Kanako first brought it up. She did glance with concern at Naru from time to time however.

Kaolla looked contemplative, glanced down at her wristwatch and then looked up at Kanako with a curious expression, raising her hand into the air.

"Yes, Su-chan? We're not at school, so there's no need for you to raise your hand if you want to ask a question." she kindly informed the foreign girl.

"Does coed mean boys and girls at the same time?" she asked.

"Yes." Kanako replied, just barely managing to suppress a cheerful smile at the thought of all the wonderful baths she could take with Keitaro from now on.

"So, I can bathe with Keitaro from now on?" Kaolla asked and Kanako's cheerful mental imagery of herself and Keitaro bathing naked crashed, shattering into a thousand pieces at the foreigner's inquiry.

"What!" Kanako exclaimed, before calming herself down, forcing a smile unto her lips. "Why, yes. I suppose." she added in a more calm tone of voice.

"Yay!" Kaolla cheered and leapt off the couch she had been perched upon, launching herself at Keitaro with her arms open wide. "Keitaro, it's 20:32! Let's go take a bath together!" she cried out, then grunted in surprise as she was suddenly halted mid-leap, a meter away from Keitaro.

"Homework first, Su-chan." Kanako insisted, holding the unruly teenager by the scruff of her neck.

"Done already. I did that on the train home!" Su cheered and twisted, dropping to the ground, where she instantly sprung away for Keitaro again, this time succeeding with her flying hug/tackle. "Come on, Keitaro! Let's go take a bath together!" she urged him on as Kanako's eyelids twitched.

That, she hadn't counted on.

She briefly wondered if it hadn't been a mistake to make part of the time coed after all. But after she had realized that making it male-only would still prevent her from bathing with Keitaro, she had decided to go for coed. But she hadn't actually thought that any of the others would go so far as take advantage of that! She had honestly thought that she'd get Keitaro all to herself!

"A bath sounds good. I'm in." Kitsune announced. "I'll join the two of you once I've finished my beer."

"Kaolla! Kitsune!" Naru exclaimed with a horrified expression. "You two can't be serious!"

"It's no big deal, Naru. Wear a swimsuit if you think otherwise." Kitsune said.

"Yeah, it's no biggie. Keitaro has seen me naked before anyway." Kaolla announced, causing the entire room to glare at Keitaro and Kaolla.

"Has he now?" Kanako asked, cracking her knuckles.

"Yeah! He stepped on one of my mecha-tamas and fell through the door as I was changing into my school uniform this morning. Yesterday too. I was taking a refreshing bath in the river next to my door and was just getting out of the water when Keitaro opened the door to let me know that dinner was ready."

"Urashima..." Motoko growled.

"Keitaro..." Naru growled.

"Brother dear..." Kanako growled.

"Uh, guys? It was completely by accident." Keitaro insisted, swallowing nervously and taking two steps backwards.

Kanako got a hold of herself and took a calming breath. /Yeah, no doubt./ she mentally agreed with Keitaro's explanation. She knew better then anyone just how accident-prone he was.

"Very well. Try to ensure that it doesn't happen again." she said and grabbed both Naru and Motoko as they tried to dash past her at Keitaro, holding on to them and sealing her feet to the ground with a hasty application of Ki. Both Naru and Motoko lost their footing, the lower parts of their bodies continuing onwards while their heads and necks were held back by Kanako's iron grip.

"Waaaaa!" Naru said as Kanako let go after her momentum had been halted, causing her to fall flat on her back.

"Waaaaa!" Motoko cried out as Kanako held on to her as Motoko caught herself with her feet and both hands, stopping her fall.

"Now then, another one of the new changes that we're going to implement here, is that from now on, using violence to handle our problems with one another is an offence punishable by instant eviction. If either of you two lay a hand on anyone else outside of sparring, I'll toss you out of here instantly and permanently." Kanako informed everybody.

"Uh, Kanako. Isn't that a bit har..." Keitaro started, but was once again silenced by his little sister's furious glare.

"Try to remember that, you two. If you have a problem with brother dear, or anyone else, handle the matter like civilized people instead of brainless barbarians." Kanako advised them, before baring her teeth at them. "Or else..." she growled, her eyes flashing with a predatory rage that pretty much instantly cowed both Naru and Motoko, just as it had Keitaro.

Things had most assuredly changed with the arrival of the Urashima siblings. No longer would the girls be able to run wild, as there once again was someone around to rein them in when they overstepped their bounds, in the form of one Urashima Kanako.

But...

Who watches the watcher?

The End! ( For now... )


End file.
